The ministerial order for revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act was announced on August 31, 2023, and executed on the same day.

In regard to specific skills Item 2 requiring skilled ability, only 2 categories (construction and the welding category of the ship building/ship construction area) were made subject to it compared to the specific skills Item 1 which had 12 specific industries, but pursuant to the revision the 9 categories of building cleaning, production of fabricated materials/industrial machines/electric and electronic information related items, automobile maintenance, aircraft, lodging, farming, fisheries, production of food and beverages, and the food service industry, and all work categories other than welding in the ship building/ship construction area were newly added to specific skills Item 2 (total of 11 categories).

By this revision among the 12 specific industries under specific skills Item 1, it became possible to participate in specific skills Item 2 for all designated industries other than the caregiver category (*).

(*) The caregiver category is covered by the specialist technical status of residence “caregiver”.